Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars
Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars are sweet, salty, and semi-homemade. They’re loaded with rich flavor, but they’re not loaded with work. It’s the perfect treat.
If you love decadent desserts but you don’t love a lot of work, then these bars are for you. We love making these for family and friends because they’re simple, easy, and delicious. It’s the perfect combo.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It only uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- It’s an easy, semi-homemade recipe that’s decadent and delicious.
- It’s loaded with salted caramel, chocolate, and shortbread.
🛒Ingredients
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You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe, and you’ll find them all at your local grocery store. You can find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Dublin Shortbread Cookies
- Melted unsalted butter
- Kraft caramels
- Evaporated milk
- Milk chocolate chips
- Vegetable oil
- Salt flakes
🔪 How to Make Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars
Making these bars couldn’t be simpler. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps!
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2: Make the Crust
Pulse the cookies in a food processor or blender until they become fine crumbs. Then, add to a medium bowl with melted butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly coated. Press the crumbs into the baking dish, pressing down firmly with a spatula, the back of a spoon, or a measuring cup until it forms an even crust.
Step 3: Bake
Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown. Then, remove the dish from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator and cool for another 20 minutes.
Step 4: Melt the Caramel
Combine the caramels and evaporated milk in a microwaveable bowl and melt at 30-second intervals, mixing between each interval until silky and smooth.
Step 5: Add to the Crust
Immediately pour the caramel over the shortbread crust and spread evenly Then, chill for 15 more minutes in the refrigerator.
Step 6: Melt the Chocolate
Microwave the chocolate chips and coconut oil at 30-second intervals on low or defrost. Stir between each interval until fully melted.
Step 7: Finish the Bars
Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and spread it evenly. Then, sprinkle it with salt flakes and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until set. Then, cut into bars and enjoy.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Chocolate – Use semi-sweet, dark, or even white chocolate chips for the chocolate layer.
- Instant Coffee – Stir in a bit of instant coffee for an even bolder flavor.
- Shortbread Cookies – We love Dublin, but you can use any brand you like.
If you love dessert bars, then check out these brownie bottom Butterfinger cheesecake bars.
🥄 Equipment
You’ll only need a few basic items to make this easy recipe.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food processor or blender
- Microwaveable bowls
- Spatula
- Baking dish
- Parchment paper
🥫 Storage
Store these for up to a week in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
💭 Tips
- When chilling the crust, place the baking dish in the refrigerator on a wire rack so it can cool more evenly.
- Never melt the chocolate chips on any setting higher than low. This keeps the chocolate as creamy as possible.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
There are a few brands that are known for their quality. Ghirardelli, Lindt, and believe it or not, Toll House are all great for melting and baking.
They don’t have to be, but they stay nice and hard when chilled. We prefer them that way.
Adding the evaporated milk gives the caramel the creaminess it needs to spread.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy caramel? Try these delicious recipes:
- Caramel Apple Upside Down Bundt Cake
- Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Ritz Cracker Salted Caramel Icebox Cake
📌 PIN IT!!
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars
Equipment
- 9×9 baking dish
- parchment paper
- Food Processor or Blender
- Wire rack
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 11 ounces Dublin Shortbread cookies
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 16 ounces Kraft Caramels
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1 ¼ cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- Salt flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F then line a 9×9 baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a food processor or blender, pulse the shortbread cookies until you have fine crumbs. Add to a medium mixing bowl with the melted butter and mix with a spatula until the crumbs are evenly coated.
- Pour the crumbs into the baking pan and press down firmly using a spatula, the back of a spoon, or measuring cup until you have a nice even crust.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350 F or until the crust is a light golden brown. Then remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool for another 20 minutes. Refrigerate it with the rack underneath as it may still be hot.
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the unwrapped caramels and evaporated milk and microwave for 30 seconds. Give it a mix with a spoon and microwave again in 30 second increments until melted. Make sure to mix in between each time until the caramel is silky smooth, breaking apart and large chunks.
- Immediately pour the melted caramel onto the shortbread crust and spread evenly. Place back in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
- In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and coconut oil for 30 seconds on a low or defrost setting. Stir the chocolate with a spoon and continue to microwave in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until fully melted.
- Pour the melted chocolate on top of the caramel layer and spread it out evenly. Then sprinkle on the salt flakes and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the chocolate to set.
- Once the chocolate has hardened, cut it into bars using a sharp knife. Serve and enjoy!
